Nobody's Home
by Silviael
Summary: Bella is changed, Renee is gone, and Charlie is alone with his pain.
1. Prologue: Too Much To Take

**Should I be starting a new story? Absolutely not. But am I completely stuck on all my others? Absolutely yes. Then I had the weird craving to start this despite my better judgment.**

**We all think Bella will become a vampire eventually- most of us, anyway! Charlie would either have to think she's dead or know the truth. In my story Bella leaves him behind to deal with his grief. Charlie is so much like Bella... and she's the only one he's really got.**

NOBODY'S HOME

Prologue: Too Much To Take

"Charlie?" George called, as if from far away. "Don't you think you've had enough?"

He was still wearing his police uniform, I noticed blearily. The world seemed to be rocking in a rainbow of colors. I stared without interest down at the floor. It was swimming.

I mumbled something I knew was incoherent and George sighed. "Well… I was going to ask if you could help out at the office… but I guess not. Come on, let's get you back to your house."

I clutched at the nearly empty bottle, slapping some bills on the counter. I couldn't see well enough to know how much money I was putting down. George raised his eyebrows incredulously.

"Charlie," he said in a peculiar tone of voice, "I doubt a beer or two would cost forty dollars…"

I felt a sloppy scowl steal my expression. This upstart of an officer believed he could order me around. He condescended me, tried to tell me what to do.

"I'm fine," I snarled, picking up all but one of the bills. Upon very close, painstaking inspection, I saw that the remaining bill was a ten. That should cover it. If not, to hell with it- I'd saved the barkeeper's behind on more than one occasion.

The extra effort of thinking made my head ring. I got to my feet and felt myself begin to laugh. The floor! The floor was moving, it was trying to make me fall down, but it couldn't. I was stronger than the floor.

I swayed across the room triumphantly, throwing my hands out frantically when I tripped on a chair leg.

George watched me cautiously, holding his arms at the ready. _Why? _I muttered blackly to myself. _It's not like I'm going to… _I must've passed out, because I remembered nothing but falling into a deep sleep. Blackness overtook me, and I became numb, oblivious to everything else.


	2. Falling Up

**AN: Okay. I haven't written anything on this in a while, but I didn't forget about it. I've just been preoccupied with my other, farther-along _five _stories. Haha.**

**Quote of the Chapter: I'm going to the place where love and feeling good don't ever cost a thing… and the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.**

Chapter One: Falling Up

_She looked so beautiful._

Bella, I mean. Not Renee. Bella.

Although Renee looked very nice, too, in her mother-of-the-bride dress.

I stared at my daughter, feeling the emotion build up in my tear ducts. She was smiling from ear to ear, her cheeks pink, but arguing with Alice over the pair of shoes Alice was attempting to force her to wear.

"You can change into flats for the party," she wheedled. I chuckled to myself.

I looked down the aisle, caught sight of the groom, and my mood darkened slightly. I still wasn't entirely thrilled with the two of them getting married so soon. It was reminiscent of my own early, doomed marriage. Bella was eighteen, though, and she made her own decisions now. If this was what she chose, I had to be here for her.

Despite my own feelings for Edward Cullen.

The piano started to play and the flower girl and ringbearer walked down the aisle together. The flower girl was having entirely too much fun with her petals. Ignoring the solemnity of the occasion, she twirled around, tossing tulips all over the people near her. She was Angela Weber's four-year-old niece.

Angela was Bella's maid of honor. Over the last year and a half, as they'd gone to college, they'd become very close. I was surprised Bella didn't choose Alice, personally, but once again: she made her own decisions.

Alice didn't look put out. She had said something about how she'd have other chances and Angela wouldn't. It hadn't made sense to me, but as long as darling Alice's feelings weren't hurt, I wouldn't press the issue.

Angela, Rosalie, and Alice were bridesmaids; Esme was the Matron of Honor. Renee would be sitting proudly in the front row. Everything looked picture perfect, thanks to Dr. Cullen's funds, mainly. I'd chipped in as much as I could, but the salary of a police officer to a doctor… well, you do the math.

Emmett, Jasper, and (weirdly enough) Mike Newton were groomsmen. And even stranger was that Jacob Black was Edward's best man.

Jacob didn't look too thrilled. I wished the two positions were exchanged, and I was certain he did too. But as far as I could tell he loved my daughter and he needed to be here for her, no matter his feelings about being second best. He and I sympathized with one another: we both wished Jake was the groom.

At last everyone rose and the bride's song began to play. Bella had said it was a song Edward wrote: a lullaby. I'd bet he paid someone to write and play it for him.

I saw Bella smiling, and all my grumpiness faded. This was her day.

I smiled back at her and offered my arm. She took it, standing close to me. "If I trip," she whispered to me playfully, "catch me and then yell at Alice, okay?"

I guessed Alice had coerced Bella into wearing the high heels.

We began to walk.

Despite the fact that I didn't like Edward, even I melted a fraction at the expression on his face when he saw Bella.

Bella didn't trip. She was more surefooted, more sure in everything, than I'd ever seen her. Maybe this was the right thing after all.

We reached the front and I took one last, long look at my daughter. From now on my claim would be secondary to Edward Cullen's. From now on, I couldn't protect her from everything that put her in danger. It would be his job.

I handed her to him. I met Edward's odd-colored eyes and said for only him to hear, "You take care of her, Edward."

"I will," he murmured back, eyes shining.

I went to sit beside Renee as Carlisle, also a certified minister, began the ceremony.

When the service was over, all of us gathered outside for pictures, then Alice and Rosalie firmly towed Bella off to 'freshen her up' before the party.

Edward watched his new wife go with longing.

Carlisle stood next to me: two fathers seeing their kids grow up too fast. We exchanged small talk, enjoying one another's company, as we processed into the church's social hall.

Everything was perfect on the surface. Bella came back and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen greeted their guests. I noticed that Jacob didn't shake Edward's hand or even acknowledge Edward.

Neither did Billy.

It was when I saw this that I began to get a bad feeling. My easy smile faded, and I felt in the pit of my stomach that something was terribly wrong.

Carlisle noticed. "Charlie?"

"It's just…" I couldn't take my eyes off Bella. Why? She'd still live in Forks. I'd see her often. Still, I couldn't help the next words that came out of my mouth. "I have a bad feeling, Carlisle."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," the good doctor said, patting my shoulder.

"Yes," I agreed, although I didn't feel that way. "Maybe it was the punch."

The party passed in a blur until I was called to the center of the room to dance with Bella.

Earlier I'd been dreading this part of the festivities. I'd known we would step all over each other; neither of us could dance. At all.

I didn't feel so worried about that now. All I wanted was time with Bella, because I couldn't get rid of the feeling that time was slipping away from me, like the bottom of an hourglass running out of space.

I held her close, eyes shut, as we swayed in time to the music. To be safe we didn't even move; we just held each other.

When the music stopped, I opened my eyes and was surprised to find they were wet.

I drank some wine, hoping it would numb me and make me forget this growing pressure in my lungs. It felt like I'd been burned but didn't feel the pain of it yet.

Carlisle came to me to say goodbye a few hours later. He wanted to go back to the hospital and check on a patient who hadn't been doing well. By this time people were starting to trickle away. "Goodbye, Charlie," he said.

"Goodbye," I said quietly, and then my stomach went cold and I just had to ask. "Carlisle."

He turned back to me with a welcoming smile. "Yes?"

I knew I looked afraid. I could feel the fear seeping into me. "Everything's going to change," I said. It was a statement, not a question. "Can't you feel it? Can't you feel something shifting?"

He looked startled. "Charlie, I told you- it's going to be all right."

Was that pity in his eyes? Or was it guilt?

"It's not," I said loudly. I was drunk and I didn't care. "There's something wrong."

"Good night," Carlisle said, and seemed to force himself to walk away.

I stayed until the wee hours of the morning. I didn't even go with Renee when she offered to drive me home. I couldn't leave Bella. I felt like if I left, she would vanish and I'd never see her again.

_Something isn't right tonight._

I didn't think about how odd it is was that she and Edward stayed as long as they did. Usually the bride and groom take off on their honeymoon pretty early- anxious, I'm sure. Tonight, Bella seemed content to stay with me.

Finally they told me they were leaving, and I followed them outside, practically falling into my car.

I stared at Edward's Vanquish pulling away from me and I was struck by a sense of loss so great that I felt that I would drown in it. I got home safe and instantly ran to the phone to call Edward's cell phone. I had to make sure everything was all right.

No one answered, not even in the gray hours of the morning as I kept trying and trying.

Carlisle called me in the morning to tell me that the couple was dead.


End file.
